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11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

June 16, 2024

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Introit

Kyrie

Gloria

Collect

O God, strength of those who hope in you,
graciously hear our pleas,
and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing,
grant us always the help of your grace,
that in following your commands
we may please you by our resolve and our deeds.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading EZ 17:22-24

Thus says the Lord God: “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of a cedar; I will set it out. I will break off a tender one from the topmost of its young twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 “On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it, in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar. Under it every kind of bird will live; in the shade of its branches will nest winged creatures of every kind. 24 “All the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord. I bring low the high tree, I make high the low tree; I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the Lord have spoken; I will accomplish it.”

Responsorial Psalm PS 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16

R/. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

Second Reading 2 COR 5:6-10

Brothers and sisters, 6 we are always confident, even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.

Alleluia

Gospel MK 4:26-34

Such a large crowd gathered around Jesus that he got into a boat and began to teach them using many parables. Jesus said: 26 “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, without the sower knowing how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with the sickle, because the harvest has come.” 30 Jesus also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” 33 With many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

Catena Nova

The grain of mustard seed is the Lord, who by faith is sown spiritually in the hearts of those who accept Him. Whoever diligently cultivates the seed, by practising the virtues, moves the mountain of earthbound pride and, through the power thus gained, expels the obdurate habit of sin. In this way, the activity of the principles and qualities, or divine powers, present in the commandments, is revived as though they were birds. … Those who seek the Lord should not look for Him outside themselves. On the contrary, they must seek Him, within themselves, through faith made manifest in action (St. Maximus the Confessor).

The mustard seed is small in size but it holds an explosive force; although it is sown in a small hole, it produces great branches, and when it is grown birds can nest there. In the same way faith produces great effects in the soul instantaneously. Enlightened by faith, the soul pictures God and sees him as clearly as any soul can. It circles the earth; even before the end of this world it sees the judgement and the conferring of promised rewards. So may you have the faith which depends on you and is directed to God, that you may receive from him that faith too which transcends human capacity (St. Cyril of Jerusalem).

Let us not be too easily disappointed by our Lord's words. If we remember that “God's weakness is stronger than human strength, and God's foolishness wiser than human wisdom,” we shall find that this smallest seed of God's creation is greater than the whole wide world. It is up to us to sow this mustard seed in our minds and let it grow within us into a great tree of understanding reaching up to heaven and elevating all our faculties; then it will spread out branches of knowledge, the pungent savor of its fruit will make our mouths burn, its fiery kernel will kindle a blaze within us inflaming our hearts, and the taste of it will dispel our unenlightened repugnance. Yes, it is true: a mustard seed is indeed an image of the kingdom of God (St. Peter Chrysologus).

Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian, but its growth entirely depends on the care we take to nourish it. If neglected, it will die (Bl. Catherine McAuley).

We plant seeds that will ï¬‚ower as results in our lives, so best to remove the weeds of anger, avarice, envy and doubt, that peace and abundance may manifest for all (Dorothy Day).

Throughout the history of the living, the origins of anything new have always been small, practically invisible and easily overlooked. The Lord Himself has told us that “heaven” in this world is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all the seeds (Matthew 13:31-32), yet contained within it are the infinite potentialities of God. In terms of world history, Jesus’ Resurrection is improbable; it is the smallest mustard seed of history. This reversal of proportions is one of God’s mysteries. The great – the mighty – is ultimately the small. And the tiny mustard seed is something truly great (Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI).

In the language of the Gospel, the seed is the symbol of the Word of God, whose fruitfulness is recalled in this parable. The Word of God makes things grow, it gives life. …Because this is the power that makes the life of the Kingdom of God sprout within us. And thus is the Kingdom of God, a humanly small and seemingly irrelevant reality. To become a part of it, one must be poor of heart, not trusting in their own abilities but in the power of the love of God; not acting to be important in the eyes of the world but precious in the eyes of God, who prefers the simple and the humble. When we live like this, the strength of Christ bursts through us and transforms what is small and modest into a reality, that leavens the entire mass of the world and of history. This opens us up to trust and hope, despite the tragedies, the injustices, the sufferings that we encounter. The seed of goodness and peace sprouts and develops, because the merciful love of God makes it ripen (Pope Francis).

Homily

Our neighboring diocese to the west in Buffalo just announced it will be to merging approximately 34 percent of the diocese’s 160 parishes. The diocesan website quotes its bishop, Michael Fisher, explaining the decision: “The Diocese of Buffalo is facing multiple challenges including a significant priest shortage, declining Mass attendance, aging congregations and ongoing financial pressures brought about by our Chapter 11 [bankruptcy] filing…scaling back the number of parishes would best allow us to use our limited resources to help reenergize a spiritual renewal in the diocese." Such "right-sizing" of local churches is, of course, nothing new. It's happening all across the country with a few notable exceptions — though the Vatican of late has been granting the appeals of disgruntled parishioner trying to save their parish.

The bishops of the United States have been hoping their "Eucharistic Revival" will reverse the decline responsible for such measures. Corpus Christi processions with the Blessed Sacrament were held in towns and cities across the country a few weeks ago while several national pilgrimages are taking place leading up to the Eucharistic congress that will be held next month in Indianapolis. Will the pews and seminaries show an increase in numbers as a result? Or do such things merely play to those already there? Time will tell.

But are numbers really the measure of success when it comes to the church? Not if the parables of the sower and of the mustard seed shed light on the current situation. After all, the latter is a symbol of the very kingdom of God – of which the church is, after all, but the sign (and often enough, a confusing one at that and never without its share of weeds). And while it might be nice if the church were more like a majestic cedar (I), all kinds of dangers accompany such stature, not the least of which is confusing earthly kingdoms with God’s.

For the sower who knows not how (G) seed germinates, sprouts, and grows warns us about trying to understand the ways the Kingdom advances (which might well be happening at a quicker pace and with more “success” outside the precincts of the church as within it). Which is why I like the following observation of Jean-Luc Marion who asks "What Would It Mean for the Church to Succeed?" :

Are we first and foremost the ones in charge of the salvation of the Church, of its growth, its power, its efficaciousness, its improvement? Does not Christ himself take care of that? Of course, he does so by asking each one of us to reform ourselves, that is to say, to convert to the life of the Spirit. And of course, he promised his Church that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. But he never guaranteed it would become a majority, or dominant in the world: he only asked it to pass through the same experience of the cross by which he gained the Resurrection. (Church Life Journal; June 1, 2021).

I don't think these views would be very popular in a lot of chancery offices where "managed decline" under the guise of "strategic planning" are often thought to be the path to growth, power, efficaciousness and improvement, Or in religious orders like mine who keep thinking our formation programs will become viable again if only we have the right "vocations" program rather than admit our time is past.

Indeed, the numbers game can be very dangerous when it comes to measuring “success.” It’s an old game. Pastors report to the bishop the number of sacramental rites that have been performed in their parish; how many souls inhabit the parish boundaries, the number of kids in the few remaining Catholic schools, the results of the annual October census of Mass attendance, and of course the size of the collection and the quota for the diocesan appeal. Yet, it’s still a game.

And these days it's often enough a shell game since statistics often hide the reality of the church on the ground. I have attended one too many sacramental charades (and presided at them) to believe numbers tell much truth. For example, among this year’s ever-dwindling number of first communicants, how long will it be before they make their second Holy Communion? Or how many of this year’s confirmands will be found at Mass the following Sunday? Or ask any priest how many marriages were performed in his parish in the last year compared to a decade ago. And when I read the obituaries, I am often shocked at how few Catholics even have a church funeral anymore.

Whatever the numbers, bishops report these things to the Vatican which publishes its own annual statistics. Last count there were 1.39 billion Catholics in the world. The Pew Research Center even reported recently that 28% of Catholics in the United States attend Mass weekly or more (https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/12/9-facts-about-us-catholics/; April 12, 2024). Which makes me wonder how, if a third of Catholics are going to Mass on Sunday, a third of a diocese's parishes are being shuttered. What was it Mark Twain said about statistics?

Far more to the point is Paul who reminds us we walk by faith and not by sight (II). So we really can’t tell all that much by looking – or counting. So much of what we call “church” happens out of sight much like that seed which grows unawares and of its own accord (G). For without the aid of God human frailty can do nothing — not even make a mustard seed grow. (Cf. Collect)

All of which reminds me of a prayer composed by the former bishop of Saginaw, Ken Untener, and is often misattributed to St. Oscar Romero. While it has priests in mind, I think it applies to all of us:

It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.

The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts; it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.

Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.

We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water the seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something and to do it well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.

Intercessions (Joe Milner; The Sunday Website)

For the Church: that the seed of faith planted in the heart of each believer may grow into a bountiful manifestation of God’s reign in the world.
For a bountiful harvest: that God will grant growth to crops, seasonable weather, and protection from disease so that all may be nourished and sustained by the fruits of the earth.
For the sick: that God will bless and strengthen those preparing for or recovering from surgery, restore them to health, and fill their hearts with peace.
For all who are in need: that God will give strength to those struggling with addictions, protection to runaway youth and refugees, and comfort to the isolated and the grieving.
For public officials: that God will help them to fulfill their duties, seek the truth and the common good in all the issues that arise, and be open to learning from one another.
For safety and protection: that God will guide those responsible for safeguarding our personal, medical, and public data to greater awareness and insight as they work against destructive attacks and ransomware intrusions.
For peace: that God will help world leaders to dialogue honestly so that violence may end, the weak and innocent may be protected, and that the dignity of each person may be respected.

O God, at whose bidding the seed will sprout and the shoot grow toward full stature, hear the prayer of your assembled people. Make us trust in your hidden ways, that we may pray with confidence and wait for your kingdom now growing in our midst. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. (ICEL; 1998).

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